Have you been sucked into a bad-data orbit? Here’s how to break free.
Bad data has the gravitational pull of Jupiter. It causes problems as massive as a planet for telecommunication networks thanks to errors, missing...
2 min read
Lisa Mayo : Jun 26, 2024 1:00:59 PM
Whether your goal is to quickly evaluate a new network build project, or to fully engineer a network for the purpose of constructing it, a realistic design should be your starting point. However, initiating the design process is impossible without input data. The quality of a design can only be as good as the input data used to generate it.
At Biarri Networks, we specialize in data-driven design, by collecting, generating, combining, and transforming various input data sources into fully engineered fiber networks.
Throughout each part of this article series we will cover:
Today, in part 2, we will deep-dive into the second topic:
To be successful in a fiber network design project, it is important to know which data sources are available, and how to use them.
No-cost data sources
Many open sources of data are freely available online. If you know how to use them, these free data options have the potential to kickstart any planning or feasibility project, as well as providing valuable input into a detailed design. Some examples include:
The availability of these data sources heavily depends on region and access to licensing. Some of these items are only accessible by government entities, or ISPs, for example.
At-cost data sources
High quality data products are available from a variety of vendors. These products help to supplement many of the free data sources listed above, providing more up to date and curated information than their no-cost counterpart. They can also offer datasets that would not be available elsewhere.
Some examples are:
Many of these data sources have optionality about how they are delivered to you, whether that be a full delivery for the entirety of a geographic region on a regular basis, or as needed via an API.
Asset owner records
When it comes to sourcing data describing existing underground assets (vaults, ducts), aerial assets (poles, spans), OSP infrastructure (cables, equipment), non-fiberfiber assets (gas, electrical, and water), then obtaining data directly from the asset owner(s) is ideal.
If it is even available, gaining access to this data is one of the largest challenges in the data collection stage of a design project. And even if it is accessible, the data is not necessarily digitized, accurate, or complete.
Field data
Field data collection is used to gather information about the physical environment, either when it cannot be easily sourced in another way, or when the actual conditions in the field are required to be known for design validation and make ready activity. It is also valuable for ensuring the most up to date view of the condition of the environment and the assets within it. It is critical for producing a construction-ready design..
Field data collection may involve:
These days, field data collection doesn’t necessarily need to involve the mobilization of in-field resources. Many innovative technologies are available to capture, analyze, and interpret real-world data on shorter timelines and at a reduced cost. These include Lidar, high-quality imagery captured by vehicle or drone or aircraft, satellite imagery, and more.
Bad data has the gravitational pull of Jupiter. It causes problems as massive as a planet for telecommunication networks thanks to errors, missing...
Whether your goal is to quickly evaluate a new network build project, or to fully engineer a network for the purpose of constructing it, a realistic...
Whether your goal is to quickly evaluate a new network build project, or to fully engineer a network for the purpose of constructing it, a realistic...